08th May 2025, Armani Hotel Burj Khalifa, Dubai
| 8:00 - 9:00 | Registration & Networking |
| 9:00 - 9:15 | Welcome Note |
| 9:15 - 9:30 | Keynote Address |
| 09:30 - 10:15 | Panel 1: Beyond the edge - Can banks build lasting leads over competition in today’s technology environment? If asked, would bankers say their bank is only as good as others, or even not as good? In our technology driven environment can a bank really get an edge over others, either wholly or in selected parts of their business spectrum? How can technology providers really ensure that they can offer market advantages to their banking clients? If so, what might provide that edge - smarter technology, service creativity, better product offerings? How do different banks define or measure the edge they want and can technology always deliver? What are the leading factors in banking technology today that might provide a bank with a clear lead in the market? |
| 10:15 - 10:30 | Presentation |
| 10:30 - 11:15 | Panel 2: Artificial Intelligence - Where it is taking regional banking? “Hype” and “Buzz word” are often deployed in conversations about AI. So, now that another year has passed since discussing AI in Banking at this summit, what have been the results of the use of AI in banking across our region during this time? Has its adoption lived up to the promises made for it, and what further does it have to offer banks, financial institutions, their clients and consumers? Nobody doubts that it is here, in use and in an ongoing development era, so where can we expect it to take the sector and everyone that interacts with financial services? |
| 11:15 - 11:45 | Coffee Break |
| 11:45 - 11:55 | Presentation |
| 12:00 - 12:45 | Panel 3: Technology and Payments - Pioneering ahead or settling comfortably? Payments have been and are an obviously important focus for technology businesses, fintechs and financial institutions, exampled by the approaching November, ISO 20022 adoption deadline. What comes next for technology in payments, remittances and cross-border payments, and with such dedication to it from banks and technology vendors, how much more innovation and development room is there for regional payments? Will payments technology and methods hit peak evolution in the coming years, moving into more maintenance-centric or regulatory adherence roles, or could we still be amazed by as yet unimagined payments methods, requiring the skills and minds of technology companies? |
| 12:45 - 13:30 |
Panel 4: Developing Banking Technology - What is emerging and how is it getting to the markets? As banking continues its ongoing and significant technology driven transformations, excepting AI and ML, what are fastest developing technologies currently reshaping the sector in the region? Do they include, for example, hyper-automation, composable applications, low-code development, biometric authentication - and so on. What are the latest innovations and what effects do regulators and governments and partnerships between banks and fintechs have in the development and implementation of banking technology? |
| 13:30 - 14:30 | LUNCH |
| 14:30 - 15:15 | Panel 5: Regulation, Compliance and Technology - Staying ahead of the curve Banks and financial institutions across our region have been, and still are experiencing growth across all industry sectors, with an accompanying development of regulations and obligations to remain secure for their clients and customers. How does technology help banks and financial institutions across our region stay up to speed and compliant with the increasingly more sophisticated regulatory requirements? How is Ai contributing to these ever more stringent needs and how are technology companies keeping pace with, and getting ahead of the bad-actors that also deploy sophisticated technology? How currently well equipped are banks and technology providers in implementing effective cybersecurity? |
| 15:15 - 16:00 | Panel 6: Open Banking in the Middle East - How much more growth can we expect? Open banking is experiencing a growth wave in our region that is expected to increase in magnitude into the 2030’s. To a large extent, this is inevitable as the market evolves but what are the main drivers of this growth – increasing consumer demand, government initiatives, developing regulatory frameworks ? If the potential for better and faster instant payments and financial inclusivity that open banking promises is real, will it positively affect underbanked communities and contribute to national or regional economies. If so, then how will banks and their partners meet the increasing need and demands for open banking. |
| 16:00 - 16:30 | Coffee Break |
| 16:30 - 16:40 | Presentation |
| 16:45 - 17:30 | Panel 7: What of the Future - Halfway to halfway, what happens in Q2 of the 21st Century? In this, the final session of the day, the panel will mull over the debates and conclusions of the preceding debates, then speculate how the application and routine use of banking technology, and the growing ubiquity of AI will take shape as we move into the second quarter of the twenty-first century. What will technology be doing to change banking and financial services, how might clients and consumers relate to their banks and what might its effects be on the sector across the region in ten, twenty or twenty-five years from now? |
| 17:35 | Closing Remarks |
| 18:00 - 19:00 | Awards Registration |
| 19:00 - 20:00 | Awards Ceremony |
